It’s happened to most of us. You’re sitting in a classroom, peacefully ignoring your work, when suddenly you hear someone say “Did you just see that rat?”
The room is thrown into chaos as the students scramble to either find this intruder or get as far away from it as possible.
It happens as often as a senior showing up late to the first period and acting like it’s no big deal. And the rats are just as comfortable. Some of these rodents have been here even longer than the seniors. This sedentary rodent lifestyle has led to reports of obese rats falling through ceilings into classrooms.
But what can be done to get these furry fellows into shape?
Just like our seniors, they need some motivation.
The exterminators aren’t fixing the problem. Student Gabe Smithdahl says he “saw a rat eating poison like it was a chicken tender.”
There’s only one option left. We have to turn towards nature for a solution. What are the most effective predators of rats? Birds of prey, snakes and cats. However, cats were removed as an option due to concerns of allergies among students.
We’ve had birds in our school in the past and it seemed to work out fine. A survey conducted by our staff team found that the most popular bird of prey among Whitney Young students was the owl.
The snakes would make a good addition to the maze, adding motivation for students to solve the puzzle and get to their classes faster. The newly-formed Whitney Young Cold-Blooded Creatures Club has been volunteered to select only slightly venomous snakes to introduce to the habitat.
Addressing the snakes and owls at the opening ceremony, Whitney Young principal Rickey Harris said, “you’ve all come a long way to get here today, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the best high school in the country.”
And when everybody was ready to go home, Harris could be heard rallying the crowd with his signature chant: “When I say Whitney, you say Young!”
